Minnows Hong Kong Eye Pakistan Scalp

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However, one department that has shown improvement and has now become Hong Kong’s big strength is their bowling. “Our seam attack has matured massively since the World Cup Qualifiers,” said Rath.”We have those wicket-taking bowlers in that middle period, who just come on and you know seem to do a job. They are improving day by day, they are gaining more and more experience.“We still have a young bowling attack but they are learning their craft and it is something that it is looking up and up in the future and out in with two experienced spinners and we do have a very dangerous bowling attack that could hurt some teams.”

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Their major concern is their batting, which let them down at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier earlier this year in Zimbabwe.”I think as Associate cricket goes, batting is the main concern amongst a lot of teams,” Rath pointed out. “And it is just a case of backing ourselves and there is a possibility for us of getting skittled but it’s about having confidence in all your players and just telling them to play the ball not the occasion.“It’s very easy for the teams in this situation to go into their shells and say just sort of play for the occasion. But our mentality over this tournament is just been back yourselves, play with freedom and that is something that we are going to look to try to do against India and Pakistan and hopefully it will pay off.”

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In the past, Hong Kong have beaten teams like Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Those signify their ability and act as a confidence-booster going forward. “You look at us, look at our performances against big teams. We beat Afghanistan in the ICC World T20 (Qualifier) 2015. In 2014, we’ve also beaten Bangladesh in Bangladesh,” Rath said with a sense of pride. “So, we have played against big teams and we have done well against them.”

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Young Hong Kong captain Anshuman Rath spoke to the media ahead of the match and said

“We’re just going to go there and play our free cricket and enjoy every moment of it,” Rath said. “The pressure is not really on us in those games. We’re going to just try to make our mark in the world, really.“There are a lot of people going to be watching us, as we’re holding the Associate flag in that tournament. I am sure that a lot of eyes are going to be on our players, on our key players to perform on that big stage to see if Associate cricketers can really perform against the big dogs.” As the cliché goes, cricket is a game of ‘glorious uncertainties’, and Rath is relying on that same belief – “it’s cricket and anything can happen”.

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“The players learn how to construct innings, pressure that these teams create with the ball and in the field. You don’t tend to learn these things until you experience them first hand.”

Cook understands expectations from his team aren’t very high but has the confidence that his players are capable of springing a surprise.

“The reality is that we are out resourced in every aspect and in that regard all the pressure is on the full members,” he says. “On our day, we are capable of hurting any team. Our players just need to believe in themselves and play with the freedom that they did to get us to this point. It’s an ideal stage to show what they can do as a team and as individuals.”

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2018 has been a roller coaster year for Hong Kong cricket. They endured heartbreak by losing ODI status at the start of the year during the World Cup qualifiers, but bounced back with a sparkling effort to clinch the only spot for the upcoming Asia Cup, beating UAE in the final of the qualifying tournament. It will be their first appearance at the continental tournament since 2008 and with powerhouses India and Pakistan in their group, it will be a trial by fire.

The Asia Cup may not have the stature of a World Cup or a Champions trophy, but for associate nations like Hong Kong, it’s an opportunity they don’t get often – to rub shoulders with superstar players. Hong Kong have played against India only once – at the 2008 Asia Cup – and against Pakistan twice – at the 2004 and 2008 Asia Cup. They have lost all three times.

“It is great to be able to play against this calibre of teams in back-to-back games,” coach Simon Cook, who has been in-charge since 2015, tells CricketNext. “This is where associate teams can really learn and experience what it’s like to play against top full member nations.

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Hello and welcome to the live coverage for the second match at the Asia Cup in Dubai. We have traditional powerhouse Pakistan taking on Hong Kong, the qualifiers who ensured hosts UAE would not make it to their host tournament. Stay tuned for all the action.

Catch all the live updates from the second match of the 2018 Asia Cup between Pakistan and Hong Kong at Dubai on Cricketnext.com.

Preview:Pakistan and Hong Kong have faced off in a One-Day International only twice – in 2004 and 2008 – so far with the Men in Green winning both encounters rather easily. Much of the same will be expected when the two sides kickstart their Asia Cup campaign at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. Pakistan, who are coming off a 5-0 win against Zimbabwe, will be keen to get their tournament kicking with a convincing win. They are playing on their adopted home ground and know the conditions better than anyone. However, they are known to blow hot and cold all too often, something their captain Sarfraz Ahmed will want to keep reminding them.

In fact, their recent One-Day International record makes for a rather interesting read. In their last three series, Pakistan have swept Zimbabwe 5-0, been whitewashed by New Zealand 5-0 and then have beaten Sri Lanka 5-0. The trend suggests, once Pakistan are in the groove they are pretty much been hard to stop, whilst also pointing out that one loss can go a long way in denting their confidence. With India to come next, Pakistan will be hoping for a positive start in their first game and have a good chance of doing so against Hong Kong.

For starters, they have one of the most balanced sides in the competition. Fakhar Zaman recently became the quickest batsman in ODI history to complete 1000 runs while Imam-ul-Haq has also been in tremendous touch. Babar Azam, who is ranked second place behind Virat Kohli on the ODI rankings, will look to carry on his excellent form while the experience of Shoaib Malik and Ahmed will go a long way in bolstering the middle-order. The bowling department, as usual, has a fair variety with the likes of Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Usman Khan, Junaid Khan and Shaheen Afridi in the mix while Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf have donned the all-rounder’s hat rather well of late.

Pakistan have form on their side and an excellent set of players who are acclimatised to the conditions rather well. They will have massive support behind them and it only needs to be seen how well the Champions Trophy 2017 winners cope with the pressure and expectations. Hong Kong, on the other hand, have little to lose. They are returning to the Asia Cup after a gap of ten years and with new skipper in Anshuman Rath at the helm, will be keen to prove a point after being stripped off their ODI status post a disappointing World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. They have done well to reach the competition defeating sides likes UAE and Nepal in the qualifiers to make it to the final six, and like their captain said will want to “just go out and enjoy themselves”. In Rath and Nizakat Khan, they have a solid opening duo and with the experience of Babar Hayat and Nadeem Ahmed will hope to cause a few upsets at the multi-nation event.